2013 Toyota Prius problems and complaints
Owners have filed 414 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Prius. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (242), Electrical System (52), Unknown Or Other (50).
Key takeaways
- 414 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 40 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 24 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 242 | 58% |
| Electrical System | 52 | 13% |
| Unknown Or Other | 50 | 12% |
| Engine | 37 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 22 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 18 | 4% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 16 | 4% |
| Power Train | 14 | 3% |
| Structure | 13 | 3% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 12 | 3% |
| Exterior Lighting | 12 | 3% |
| Wheels | 9 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Parts for the 2013 Toyota Prius
GarageDex's verified specs for this car. Each Buy button searches Amazon for that exact part.
- Battery
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Engine air filter
- Cabin air filter
- Wiper blades
- Headlight bulb
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| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Toyota Prius 5 HB FWD | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Service Brakes - filed 2026-10-19
On XXX, at approximately 152,570 miles, the brake, ABS, and traction-control warning lights illuminated at the same time on my 2013 Toyota Prius. The brakes felt spongy, and I heard a recurring buzzing sound approximately every 3 seconds. Because of the change in brake-pedal feel and concerns about braking safety, I st...
Unknown Or Other - filed 2026-10-17
I experienced sudden unintended acceleration. While I was making a right turn from the street to my driveway, my car suddenly accelerated on its own and hit the side of the house and the garage door, causing significant damage to the house and the front of my car. My street is uphill, so my car was almost stopped when ...
Service Brakes - filed 2026-10-12
While driving our 2013 Toyota Prius, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of braking effectiveness while the vehicle was in motion. This created an immediate safety risk because the vehicle did not respond to braking as expected. After the incident, the vehicle displayed the red BRAKE warning light, ABS wa...
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More for the 2013 Toyota Prius
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.